


Don't Go Into The Woods

by OHSHC_Trash_14



Category: Free!
Genre: Inhuman characters, M/M, Things that lurk in the forest, character death (not described), horror i guess, people get kidnapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 18:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OHSHC_Trash_14/pseuds/OHSHC_Trash_14
Summary: Some of Natsuya's friends from America visit him, and they end up somewhere you don't want to be.





	1. Don't Go Into The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading a long tumblr post (screenshotted on to instagram, I’ll still link it though, here https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz-t8CMFSsu/?igshid=bmrrid2wxzxy) about various Creepy Things that exist primarily in rural/ruralish and old areas. I'm not quite sure how but that lead to this idea. Enjoy!
> 
> Here's my new version of this: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21519187/chapters/51294103

Natsuya considered himself to be a well-educated person. He knew he wasn’t the smartest and he didn’t have the best grades, but he knew what you needed to. Most importantly, he knew where not to go. He’s grown up hearing the stories, in school during a break, people whispering to each other on the train, at the store, and wherever you can think of that you hear parts of a story being passed on. Some are closer to home than others, like his little brother’s friend that suddenly moved away in middle school even though he was born in town but everyone says that he must have been out too late because he lives in the hills and that kind of thing just happens in the hills. Over the years Natsuya’s seen people that one day started acting a lot different. They weren’t possessed or anything, it didn’t work that way. They just saw something that they weren’t supposed to and didn’t want to. So when Natsuya’s American friends came to visit him and planned to stay out late, he decided to stay sober.

“Boring!” One of them yelled. His name was Matt.

“Wait, this might be a good idea,” another one, Ryan, blurted.

“Natsuya can drive, and I’ll ride shotgun.”

“Why do you get to?” Matt complained.

“My idea, I get to pick. Plus, then you can look out the back window for aliens,” Ryan joked.

Matt’s eyes lit up.

Natsuya sighed briefly. “There aren’t aliens in Iwatobi.”

“But there is weird shit,” Matt added.

“Don’t call them that, it’s not safe,” Natsuya scolded.

“Someone’s superstitious.”

“I’m not. I’m just….being careful. Things have happened here, things you can’t explain.”

“It’s a fishing town. Some guys are out on a boat late at night, they can’t really see through the fog, one swears that he hears a siren or a mermaid or whatever you want to call it trying to call them but ignores the fact that it’s windy, when they come back they’re all spreading that story without the extra details,” Ryan said. “Everything has an explanation, but people can’t see it past their own fear.”

“Ok, then how do you explain that weird noise I have on recording?” Matt accused.

“I dunno, you have a sister, you have a dog, and you live in the middle of the desert. Pick one.”

“That noise was nothing I’ve ever heard before, and I showed it to my parents and they both thought it was really really weird.”

“It was a fox, I’ve told you this before.”

“That was not a fox, it was laughing!”

“Foxes make a noise that sounds like laughter, it’s not that weird.”

“It wasn’t a fox, it wasn’t that high pitched.”

“You recorded it,” Ryan paused to give Matt a pointed look, “with a tape recorder. The tape or the machine could’ve distorted it.”

“Can we just go?” Natsuya interrupted. “You guys can look for aliens or whatever just don’t get out of the car if I tell you not to.”

They’re out for a while, and Matt and Ryan are a little drunk at this point. They headed over to the north side of the city which is more urban so Natsuya’s not too worried about anything weird happening. It’s very rare that you hear a story about someone from the north side, plus most of it is lit up by stores way past sundown so it’s harder for stuff to happen. Eventually, they decide they’ve all had enough of this, and Matt starts bugging his friends about aliens again. Natsuya gives in and they go back to the south side, into the old part of town. He insists that no one gets out of the car.

“Whatever you see you won’t be able to get a picture of it,” Natsuya told Matt.

“Come on,” Matt said for at least the fourth time.

“If we see anything get close enough for a good picture, I’ll already be driving away.”

“Boring.”

“That’s your word of the day, isn’t it?” Ryan laughed.

“No my word of the day is-” Matt was cut off by a loud popping sound outside. They all looked at each other, then Ryan and Matt both looked at Natsuya.

Natsuya groaned. “Flat tire.”

Natsuya had told them both, firmly, to stay in the car.

He’d gotten out and, using his phone as a flashlight, started to inspect the damage. “Another reason I don’t like to come out here, stupid kids like to scatter nails on the road to mess with people.”

“How do you know that?” Ryan asked.

“I was friends with the stupid kids that did it when I was in high school. It’s kind of a tradition.”

“So are we about to change a tire out here or do we need to get back in town some other way?”

“You’re both gonna get out to help. But we’re all staying where we can see each other, and nobody goes more than a meter away from the car.”

“How long is a meter again?” Matt asked. “About three feet and then some?”

“Yeah that sounds right,” Natsuya said quickly. “Doesn’t really matter, just stay by the car.”

* * *

“Natsuya,” Ikuya said angrily. “Mom has already tried to call you twice, pick up your damn phone. I didn’t tell her where you went but she knows that you’re out with your stupid friends.” He hung up the phone and went back into the living room.

“Did he answer?” Their mom asked. 

“No, but I can try calling his friends.”

“I’ll do that. You get to bed, it’s late.”

“Mom, I’m ok. I’m not leaving you alone right now anyway.”

She agreed and made the calls. They were more polite than Ikuya’s, both along the lines of “Hi this is Natsuya’s mom, we tried to call him and he didn’t answer, would you all come back here soon, he knows why.” Unfortunately, they were both voicemails as well.

The next morning, they both woke up after falling asleep in the living room. No returned calls or texts, from Matt, Ryan, or Natsuya. They called the police and filed a missing persons report for the three boys.

* * *

“Did you hear that?” Ryan asked, voice tight.

“Yeah, where’d it come from?” Matt asked.

“Get in the car,” Natsuya said firmly.

“But the tire isn’t secured,” Matt pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter, get in the car.” They could see the fear written all over Natsuya’s face.

Everyone quickly got in and shut and locked the doors. Natsuya tried to start the car but it wouldn’t start.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked.

“I don’t know,” Natsuya responded quickly. “Just won’t start.”

“Should we run?” Matt asked.

“No. They’re more likely to come after us, and we could get separated or tired.” Natsuya turned the key for the umpteenth time as he said that and the car finally started. “Ha! There we go!” He quickly turned the car around and began driving.

“Ok, it’s too quiet in here,” Matt said after a minute or so. “Can we have the radio on?” Natsuya agreed and Ryan turned it on.

“Huh,” Ryan said when the music was almost completely overtaken by static. “I guess the signal isn’t strong enough to get out here.”

“No, we should definitely be getting a signal. This station’s tower is on the south side.” It changed to entirely static, and louder.

“I guess we’re too close to an interrupter,” Matt shrugged.

“We don’t have any.”

“What?” The other two asked.

“Iwatobi’s a small town, and the whole south side is on the coast. We don’t have interrupters.”


	2. Nao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsuya wakes up, and everything is strangely alright.

Natsuya woke up in a very unfamiliar place. He’d been camping in safer areas before, it sounded and smelled like morning, but it sure didn’t look like it. Natsuya figured he must be extremely deep in the woods for the trees to be blocking out the sun this much.

He also wasn’t positive that he wasn’t dreaming or dead because there was a very very pretty person sitting on his right, within arms reach.

“Uh, hello?”

“You’re awake,” the unknown person said. His voice was gentle and crisp, but not too quiet. And on further inspection, he may not be human. 

Natsuya sat bolt upright and skittered back like a surprised cat which caused him to smack into a tree very quickly. It also earned a concerned look and a hidden laugh from the man there with him. 

“Oh no, are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. If I may, where the hell are we?” Natsuya rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. 

“A brave one, aren’t you?” 

“I’m not sure if it’s braver than it is stupid at this point.” 

He smiled. “Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference. May I look at the back of your head? You could’ve gotten hurt again.” 

“Again?” Natsuya raised an eyebrow quizzically. 

“You were injured pretty badly, but I healed you. Sorry to say but it wasn’t the same for your friends.” 

“Are they-” Natsuya started. He couldn’t bare to continue. 

“They died, yes. He tends to be kinder to people from the town.” 

“He?” 

“I can’t tell you, it would put you in danger. I also erased the memory of what happened to you and your friends.” 

“You what?” Natsuya moved back again, more slowly and carefully than last time. The fact that this guy had said that he healed him was registering alongside the memory erasing comment. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry. We’re protectors. Most of the creatures that live in these woods aren’t violent.” 

Natsuya moved a little closer and decided against his better judgement to ask something. “Can I ask you a few questions then?” 

“That’s fine with me. But I may not answer all of them.” He began inspecting where Natsuya had hit his head.

“First of all, what should I call you?” 

“Nao.” 

“Do you know my name already?” 

“I do. It’s Natsuya.” 

“Ok.” He pretended not to be a little freaked out by that. “When you say ‘we’re protectors’ who’s we?” 

“My kind. We have healing abilities of all sorts, and aren’t made for fighting.” 

“Since you erased my memory, you know what happened to me last night, all of it?” 

“I do. I’m assuming you have some questions about that?” 

“Just one. What cut out the radio signal in my car?” 

“Who,” Nao corrected. “He’s been here since he was a kid, and has developed some abilities. But I don’t know why he did that.”

“How’d he mess with the signal? I’m pretty certain no one would’ve been able to screw with my car, we never let it out of sight.”

“He doesn’t always need to touch things to use his abilities on them. He’s psychic.” 

“And he got these powers from being here?” 

* * *

Natsuya woke up lying on the ground. Everything felt a little fuzzy around the edges, but he saw Nao, who still looked very very pretty.

“What happened?” Natsuya asked. 

“I think you were more affected by last night than either of us realized. I explained to you who I am and then you passed out. Do you remember that?”

“Oh yeah…” Natsuya trailed off as he thought about how embarrassing that sounded. “Did you find what was wrong?” 

“You just smacked your head rather hard, but I’ve fixed it.” 

“Thanks.” 

“You’re looking at me oddly.” 

“You’re very beautiful.”

Nao moved closer. “Thank you. I think you are as well.” 

Natsuya sat up, more carefully this time. “You do?” 

Nao put his hand on top of Natsuya’s. “Yes, I do.” 

Natsuya gently pulled Nao towards him so he was against Natsuya’s chest, sitting in between his legs. 

“Maybe this won’t be so bad, as long as you’re here.” 

  
  



End file.
